The official date for the rescheduled Lanka Premier League 2022 has been set for December 6. The third season of the LPL was originally scheduled to begin in August but was postponed last month. This was due to the nation’s deepening economic crisis.
“It’s my pleasure to announce that the LPL will be held from 6th to 23rd December,” LPL tournament organiser Samantha Dodanwela told the media. The news was also confirmed by IPG, the LPL’s official promoter, on Twitter.
Sponsors believed that scheduling the event for August was not ideal given the crisis. Similar arguments were also advanced as a justification for moving the Asia Cup. It was scheduled to start on August 27, from Sri Lanka to the UAE.
Dodanwela was speaking during a briefing that had been organised to elaborate on the ongoing SLC Invitational T20 event. The four-team competition was organised to help Sri Lanka’s selectors decide on the team for the T20 World Cup in Australia. It was followed by the first LPL postponement.
A possible LPL re-draft has not yet been decided. According to reports, the tournament’s organisers are debating between two options, either having a new draught or continuing with as many of the available players as feasible. With the second choice, the positions will be occupied by any unavailable foreign players being re-drafted.
According to Sri Lanka’s Future Tours Program, the tournament will probably be wedged between two options. A home Test series against the West Indies in November and an away ODI series against India in December-January. This puts Sri Lanka’s cricketers at the beginning of a busy schedule until July of next year. This will lead to the ODI World Cup in India in October 2023. It will also include the recent home series against Australia and Pakistan.
A five-team competition called the LPL has been going on since 2020. Galle Gladiators finished as runners-up in each of the two previous seasons. While Jaffna Kings, originally the Stallions, won both. The other three teams are Colombo Stars, Kandy Falcons, and Dambulla Giants, each of which has seen ownership changes since the league’s first season.
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